After stepping outside the building to get some fresh air, an awkward silence settles between Lucas and Michael.

Now that Lucas is away from all the sexy people decked out in sensual lace and leather, away from all the erotic acts being performed in front of the cheering audience, away from all the moaning and screaming that came from the second floor of the club—Lucas is finally able to process his thoughts better than what he could a few minutes ago.

“Let’s sit.” Michael points to a nearby bench. He and Lucas take a seat, deliberately leaving a few inches of space between them. “So. Do you have something you want to say to me?”

“Yes, Master.” Lucas swallows, his hands clasped tightly together on his lap as his body burns from embarrassment. “I-I… I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“For getting caught up in the moment and putting you in a position that I shouldn't have.” Lucas can feel his heart pounding against his chest as he turns to face Michael. “Please forgive me, Master?”

Michael stares at him for a moment.

To Lucas, it feels like an eternity passes. 

But when Michael eventually cracks a smile, his hard expression softening, Lucas’ tense body immediately relaxes and he breathes a sigh of relief. It pains Michael to keep his hands to himself when now more than ever he wishes to pull Lucas onto his lap and shower his face with kisses.

“I forgive you for misbehaving.” Michael looks away, giving the streets his attention again. “I have to continually remind myself that you’re new to all of this. I know you’ll make mistakes along the way and my job is to not only exercise patience with you, but to also remember when to draw the line between instructor and lover, to prevent having any more slip-ups like the one we had inside.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“You’re welcome. And for the record, you weren’t entirely at fault for what happened. I shouldn’t have indulged your desire to play. I shouldn’t have let things spiral out of control that fast.” Michael pauses, chuckling while shaking his head. “Control is what I’m all about, and yet… here you are making me lose it within seconds. That was a first for me.”

Lucas’ eyes light up in shock at Michael’s confession. It is essentially the confirmation that Lucas has been looking for—Michael is affected by him, maybe even stronger than what Lucas had initially assumed.

“I hope I didn’t ruin the rest of the evening for us,” Lucas whispers. “I’d like to continue with the tour and see one of the playrooms if that’s okay with you.”

“It’s okay with me if it’s okay with you.” Michael smiles, playfully bumping shoulders with Lucas.

“Master, I’m a little upset that you haven’t complimented me on my new hair color.” Lucas smiles back, feeling comfortable enough to joke around. “Fun fact: it wasn’t supposed to be this dark of a red. I found out after I started on my hair that I had grabbed the wrong box in the store. Still looks good, right?”

“Yeah, almost looks like a cherry red. I like it.” Michael reaches over to play with one of Lucas’s curls. “Complimenting your hair had been on my to-do list for the evening, but then you went all ‘Kiss me, Master’ upstairs and I’m only just now getting my brain to turn back on.”

“So, what you’re saying is that it’s all my fault your compliment is late?” Lucas says, getting another chuckle out of Michael. Lucas loves hearing Michael laugh. He would put it on a record and play it all day long if he could. 

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Cherry boy.” Michael stands, tucking his hands in his pockets to keep from touching Lucas. “The wind is picking up. We should go back inside. I might even have a bit of a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” Lucas asks excitedly, following Michael back into the building. “You think I still deserve it after trying to kiss you?”

“I already forgave you for that, didn’t I? That means I’m over it.” Michael’s eyes wander back over to Lucas when they’re inside the elevator. “Check in with me. Tell me how you’re feeling after our talk. Do you understand why I was displeased by what you did, despite how innocent it’d been?”

"Yes." Lucas stares at the ground, nodding. “I took the control away from you when I tried to get you to kiss me. That wasn’t showing respect to Master. I’m sorry.”

“Good boy. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” 

Michael moves closer to Lucas as they near the club. Physical contact from a Dom, especially when it comes to new submissives being introduced to such a lively and explicit environment, can help keep a submissive grounded and their mind from spiraling. 

While Michael wants Lucas to fully understand that what he did had been impulsive and inappropriate, given that they aren’t formally tied to one another just yet, he also doesn’t want Lucas to forever wallow in sadness for having made a simple mistake.

“And for my other question…” Michael wraps an arm around Lucas’ waist, pulling him in close. “How are you feeling?”

“Amazing!” Lucas looks up to meet Michael’s gaze, both of them smiling sweetly at each other. “I don’t want the night to end. I want to stay here and learn as much as I can. I want you to teach me everything…” Lucas loses his train of thought when the elevator doors open. He and Michael walk back into the erotic party happening, Lucas taking mental pictures along the way. “Wow. He must really love her shoes.”

Michael laughs as they walk past a Domme and her sub sitting at the bar. 

The Domme is speaking with the bartender while her sub sits at her feet attached to a leash that she’s holding. The submissive, a burly man, busies himself by licking at his Domme’s thigh-high leather boots. His erection is proof enough that he’s having the time of his life down on his knees.

Lucas doesn’t judge. He actually finds the whole visual utterly fascinating. He’s dying to know what it’ll feel like to slip so far deep into what they call subspace that he’s nearly oblivious to everything and everyone but his Master. Sure, Lucas has experimented with drugs before, so he knows how it feels to be high in that sense. But when it comes to a natural high, one brought on by adrenaline and the body’s endorphins that spike during kinky sex, Lucas has no clue what something like that might feel like.

Perhaps Michael will show him one day. 

“You’ll eventually see all types of fetishes play out around here,” Michael tells Lucas as they make their way back upstairs. “And no one will bat an eye because deep down inside, we’re all a bunch of nasty fuckers looking to unwind and take a break from the real world.”

Lucas grins. “Hell yeah to that.”

Once on the playroom floor, Michael brings them to a door that has the number one engraved deep into the mahogany wood. A green hanger is on the doorknob, signaling to others that they’re welcome to come inside. Michael turns to look at Lucas before doing so.

“Would you like to watch a live scene?”

“Wait. Is this my surprise?

“Only if you want it to be.”

“Yes! Yes!” Lucas exclaims. “I want to watch! I want to watch!”

“Your enthusiasm for this stuff never ceases to amuse me,” Michael chuckles, then he slips into a serious tone. “The Domme inside is a close friend of mine. To me, she’s Erica, but to everyone else down here, she’s Goddess E. You’ll address her as such if she chooses to speak to you. Nod if you understand,” Michael explains. Lucas nods. “Her submissive, Bunny, is just like the one downstairs on stage. She likes to be watched while playing with her Goddess, but only with a small crowd, and preferably with people she’s already familiar with, such as myself.”

“I see. But what about me? Will she mind me being in the room?” Lucas asks. “We don’t know each other, and I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. I don’t want to do anything that’ll throw off the scene and put her in a bad headspace.”

Pleased by Lucas’ thoughtful response, Michael grabs his hand and smiles. “That’s why we’re going to ask their permission to see if it’s okay for us to come in and watch. Always remember that consent is everything when it comes to this lifestyle. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Dom or a sub, consent must always be given before anyone dares to try anything with anybody.”

“Yes, Master. I understand.”

“Good boy. Are you ready to go inside now?”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

Michael lightly knocks on the door and in less than thirty seconds, it opens.

A tall, beautiful woman with long black hair and dark brown skin greets both men with a warm and welcoming smile. Lucas is so starstruck by her powerful visuals that he starts to malfunction a little. He knows he isn’t supposed to meet another Dom’s eyes without their permission, but he can’t help but stare. Goddess E. could be Naomi Campbell’s twin, but with dimples. Man or woman, dimples always have Lucas feeling weak in the knees.

“Took you long enough to show up. I damn near got started without you.” Erica playfully swats at Michael’s chest before directing her attention to Lucas. “Ah! This must be the one that you’ve been telling me about, Micky. The one with the red hair and adorable freckles.” Erica speaks at Michael but continues looking at Lucas. “He’s cuter than you described.”

“Back down, Erica. You know that stare of yours is strong enough to kill a man.” Michael tries to brush it off, but he can’t help but feel a tad embarrassed about getting exposed. Now Lucas knows Michael talks about him to his friends. “Lucas is new to this, so play nice.”

Erica ignores Michael and continues to stare at Lucas. “You may look at me, sweet boy. I wish to see your pretty eyes,” she speaks softly. Lucas, having remembered his place, looks up from the ground with a nervous smile on his face. “I see your Master has been teaching you some of the rules. That’s good. Can you tell me your name, darling? Not your real one, but your sub name. Unless they’re the same.”

Lucas turns to look at Michael for help.

“Oh, dear. Don’t tell me you haven’t given him a name yet, Micky! Has any paperwork even been drafted or signed? You know the sooner you claim him, the better... because if you don’t want him, I most certainly do.” Erica winks at Lucas, making him blush. “You don’t have to be so shy with me, sweet boy. Has your Master not given you a name yet? You may speak.”

“Cherry,” Michael cuts in, taking Lucas out of the hot seat. “His name is Cherry, and he’s mine, so calm down with the flirting and either let us in or turn us away.”

“Take a chill pill, little man. You know how I get when cute little subs are nearby. Fresh meat can be the most fun to play with.” Erica finally steps aside to allow the men into the room. “It’ll just be you two joining us tonight because Bunny has grown impatient having had to wait for you to arrive. I think Master should apologize to my precious baby, shouldn’t he?” Erica looks at Michael, then tilts her head over to the bed where her naked submissive lies. “Go on, then. Bunny is waiting.”

“You’re insufferable,” Michael mutters, rolling his eyes at Erica. 

They’ve known each other for years and are practically like family. Michael doesn’t trust many people in this world, but Erica Kline is without a doubt on the short list of people that he does trust and care for.

“My apologies for making you wait to play, Bunny.” Michael walks over to the bed and pinches the curvaceous woman on the cheek, getting her to smile. Michael then turns and points at Lucas. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a friend with me. He’s a pretty little sub just like you, except he’s a bit on the shy side. This is his first night here and I’ve been teaching him about our lifestyle. Will it be okay for him to watch you play with your Goddess tonight?”

Bunny, Erica’s submissive, looks over to meet Lucas’ timid gaze. She waves for him to come closer, and he does. She then takes Lucas by surprise and hugs him. He appears to pass the vibe check because she doesn’t immediately push him away.

“What’s your name?”

“Cherry,” Lucas answers after being released. He quickly returns to Michael’s side, only slightly startled by Bunny’s forwardness. “You go by Bunny, right?”

“That’s right! It’s nice to meet you, Cherry.” Bunny flashes Lucas a smile before dramatically falling back onto the bed, her hands roaming over her body as she speaks to her Goddess. “Cherry can stay and watch. I’ll put on a good show and make you proud.”

“Very well, Bunny. Get into position and show Cherry how you pose before we start a scene.” As Erica begins dishing out instructions to her sub, Michael and Lucas take a seat on a nearby sofa. There is no distance between them this time, and Lucas is grateful for it.

“I’m sorry about Bunny,” Michael whispers to Lucas. “I forgot to warn you that she’s the touchy-feely type. The hug didn’t bother you, did it? I want to make sure you’re still comfortable…” Lucas politely shushes his Master. “Oh. Okay.”

“My only complaint is that it isn’t us naked and playing on the bed.” Lucas smirks, not even daring to look Michael’s way. “We’ll get to do that one day soon, right Master?”

“Patience, Cherry boy.” Michael chuckles softly, patting Lucas’ knee. “Patience.”